Chapter 36: Chapter Fifteen

ADA

After we finished eating, Muireann brought me into one of the other rooms where there was hot water waiting for me. She was determined to stay on schedule and only allowed me a few minutes to wash.

Once I was finished, a woman brushed out my hair and I was sent to sit by the fire. As I waited for my hair to dry, I noticed Padriac entering the hall.

“Ada, I have brought you a gift from Cayden,” he said, looking around the room. Padriac had groomed himself before coming here and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a waistcoat over it.

He handed me a delicate piece of fabric while still searching the room.

“She’s bathing,” I whispered. Padriac looked at me, surprised, but did not respond. I slowly unraveled the cloth to reveal earrings and a necklace. I lifted them up in admiration.

“How beautiful! Please tell Cayden they are absolutely perfect.”

I peered up after a moment, waiting for Padriac to respond. He was invested in something other than my gift. Kyra had finished washing herself, and she was walking over to join me by the fire.

I realized she was experiencing the same issue with her nightgown that I had this morning. No wonder Padriac could not stop looking at her.

“Padriac, what are you doing here?” she asked. As fierce of a warrior as he was, in this moment he looked completely dumbfounded. I picked up the blanket off the chair and placed it over Kyra’s shoulders.

“It’s drafty here, I don’t need my sister getting sick on my wedding day.” I smiled at her, receiving a puzzled look.

It was very warm where we stood, but she kept it over her shoulders so as not to insult my gesture. I patted Padriac on the back and began speaking for him: “Padriac brought me a gift from Cayden.”

“Yes…from Cayden,” he repeated in his stupor, and Kyra and I couldn’t help but giggle. This seemed to embarrass him and he looked toward the door.

“I must return to the men. Make sure that they are not misbehaving. On Egil’s wedding day, they were all drunkenly challenging each other’s sword-skill. The day almost ended in a funeral.”

“Oh, dear. Then yes, please hurry back,” I said, laughing. “And do not forget to tell Cayden how much I love the gift. I only wish I had something to give him in return.”

Padriac nodded and left the two of us by the fire. Kyra was still smiling. Maybe all she needed was a little encouragement.

It was obvious Padriac was in love with her, but it would be more difficult to convince ~her~ of his affection.

“Our nightgowns are fairly see-through. I realized that myself this morning,” I said to her.

Kyra’s face instantly turned red. “You mean my breasts were showing…?”

“Only for a short time—the blanket covered you while we were talking.”

She opened the blanket and looked down at her chest, and we laughed uncontrollably.

“What are you two cailíns giggling about over here?” Muireann walked up to us, interrupting.

“Oh, just something between sisters,” Kyra said and squeezed my hand. She held up the necklace and earrings. “Look at what Cayden has given Ada to wear today.”

“Very lovely! They will complement your dress perfectly. Would you like to see it?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Well then, let us fix your hair and get you changed.”

Muireann helped me up and we left Kyra by the fire. I would speak with her later; tonight would be the perfect night for something to happen between her and Padriac…even if it was just a dance.

***

A few hours later, I stood in Muireann’s room, ready for the ceremony. She had transformed plain green fabric into a dress fit for a queen.

It was interwoven with pale green ribbon, which also laced through the braids in my hair. Muireann showed me where the customary horseshoe was sewn into the train to ward off all evils.

I felt like asking for a whole dress made of horseshoes. It was small and barely noticeable. I was told Cayden would mount it over the door of our home this evening when we returned as man and wife.

“You will surely stop Cayden’s heart when he sees you,” Kyra said, placing a magnificent crown of baby’s breath onto my head. Muireann nodded and cleared her throat.

“It is now time for some motherly advice,” she said, taking my hands. “Being Cayden’s wife here in Dundalk will be no easy task. Many will doubt you or expect too much from you.

Women will try to impair your marriage, spread rumors about you, and throw themselves at your man. But you are strong, Ada. Cayden has chosen you.

Do not doubt yourself and do not be afraid to make your position in our family known. If you ever need anything, Kyra and I are always here for you.”

It was the kind of speech I had always wished my own mother would give me. I found myself at a loss for words and did the only thing that felt right in that moment—I hugged her.

It was a long, tearful hug, the same embrace I would have reserved for my own mother on this day.

After a moment, Muireann pulled away, patting my shoulders and smiling. “Okay, it is time. I will go first to make sure all is set for the handfasting and send someone in to retrieve the two of you.”

Kyra and I had only a few moments together, and I seized the opportunity to talk uninterrupted.

“I don’t know whether I am saying this as a way to return the kindness you have shown me, or simply because it is my wedding day and I wish everyone to find the same happiness.

“But it is clear you and Padriac share feelings for one another,” I said, and Kyra’s eyebrows shot up with surprise. Her mouth opened, probably to deny it, but I continued.

“He is too nervous to approach you, I assume because of Cayden, and it seems your modesty blinds you to his attraction. Tonight, you should make it known his feelings are welcomed.”

Kyra looked at me with bewilderment, as if I had just spoken in tongues. I stared at her, waiting for a response, noticing how beautiful she looked wearing her new, pale pink dress.

There were flowers placed strategically throughout her hair. She looked away shyly, her cheeks flushed. “Will you help me? I would not even know the first thing about enticing him.”

“Yes! Of course. And I promise until you are ready to tell Cayden yourself, your secret is safe with me.”

Right then, someone appeared at the door to notify us that it was time. I suddenly felt so nervous I could faint.

“I’ll see you out there,” she said, and left me alone.

~This was it~. A defining moment in my life. I was to be bound to mo shíorghrá, my eternal love. Could I be the wife he needed? Was I strong enough, like Muireann had said?

Was our love strong enough to last? Before any more doubts entered my mind, I took a deep breath and started out the door.

As I left the comfort of Muireann’s quarters and entered the hall, I was greeted by many faces of our friends. As I passed, some nodded while others smiled.

This helped distract my nerves until I could see Cayden standing at the end of the crowd. Once our eyes connected, all my insecurities disappeared.

His stare felt so intense, as if we were back on that day when he saw me unveiled for the first time. It was filled with complete awe, only this time I did not expect to punch him in the face.

I smiled at him with every ounce of joy inside of me. When I finally made it to his side, he did not waste any time kissing me. I could hear our friends cheering behind us.

Muireann quieted the room and brought our two hands together. Kyra handed her the handfasting cord made specially for us.

“Since your fates have crossed in this life, you have formed an unbreakable bond. As you wish to enter marriage, you should strive to love one another unconditionally.

“To protect one another from harm, and support each other throughout all the joys and evils this world may bring. Do you wish to enter this marriage?”

“We do,” Cayden and I said in unison.

“In joining your hands together with this cord, so are your lives eternally bound through the vows of marriage.

“May this knot represent the lasting love between you both, for what is done before the gods cannot be undone by man,” Muireann said as she wound the cord and tied it around our hands.

“Then let it be known to all that this man and this woman are now husband and wife.”

We turned to face our friends, Muireann held our two entwined hands high up in the air, and our friends applauded. I looked over at Cayden and could not help but kiss him.